Raniyah Smith, left, and her sister, ReOnna Smith, walk away from a visit with Santa Claus and Tigger with a load of toys Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 at the Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada in Las Vegas, where Raniyah is a patient. The holiday event was organized by Pro-Tect Security, which has been providing photo opportunities with Santa and gifts for hospital children for the past decade.
Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 | 7:07 p.m.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada
Beyond the Sun
A pediatric nurse led two young girls down a narrow hospital hallway. Although the walls were covered in vibrant murals of balloons and animals, 9-year-old ReOnna Smith and 4-year-old Raniyah Smith wore long, expressionless faces.
As they walked into a small room decorated with a Christmas tree, holiday lights and bags of presents, two men dressed as Santa Claus and Tigger greeted them with a cherry “Merry Christmas!”
Two small smiles broke out as the Smith sisters were presented with stuffed animal gifts and dolls. When the last camera flash went off, a now beaming Raniyah rushed up to her mother, Tomekia Smith, and said, “Mommy, look at what Tigger got me!”
Children at the pediatric oncology office at the Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada, 3196 S. Maryland Parkway, were smiling more than usual on Friday when staff members from Pro-Tect Security showed up, bags of presents in hand.
The local security company began visiting hospital wards donning costumes and bearing gifts about a decade ago, said company president Leslie Bruno. Friday’s visit was Pro-Tect’s second to CCCN.
“It’s just the right thing to do, especially during this time of year,” Bruno said, adding that she hopes the stuffed animals will be a “nice distraction” during treatments.
“It’s wonderful to bring joy to some children who are very sick,” added senior director Steve Sammut, who dressed up as Tigger. “It’s inspirational how positive they are in the face of adversity.”
The event had special meaning for Pro-Tect operation manager Larry Anderson, a 20-year cancer survivor who was diagnosed with melanoma when he was 15 years old. Anderson said he remembers lying in a similar cancer ward when he received a visit from Santa.
“I really enjoy this opportunity to give back,” he said. “I always have fun shopping for the kids.”
“The kids go through a lot of hardships: surgery, chemo, radiation treatments,” said Ron Kline, one of two physicians in the pediatric oncology office. “We do our best to give a child with cancer a life back... (A visit from Santa) adds to that.”
The festivities were a break from the mundane for Maddy Tanner, an 8-year-old Spring Valley girl with a blood disorder. Tanner missed her school’s holiday party Friday because she had to come in for treatment to replenish the iron supply in her blood.
“She hates being here every month,” said her mother Jacquelyne Tanner. “Words can’t express how much this (visit from Santa) means to me. It was like having an ace in my pocket. It really made all the difference.”
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